String - Friction Interlude I: Comet

March 5th, 2017

Abigail Kingston awoke to sirens blaring.

The piercing alarm rang through her room as she jolted upright in her bed. The lights in her ceiling bathed the room in an ominous red glow. Quivering and still in her pajamas, she climbed out of bed and made for her bedroom door. Her hand was halfway to the handle when the door opened.

A woman stood dressed in casual wear. Black boots, jeans, a shirt, and a black jacket with the ECU’s logo slapped on the left breast.

“Abby, you need to come with me now.”

“Mum, what’s happening? I’m scared.”

Catherine Kingston swiftly took her hand and guided her out of the room. They entered a narrow hallway lined with doors that lead to rooms much like her own. Each one had a name engraved on it but Abby knew they were all empty. The other rookies all lived off base with their families or guardians.

“Hurricane Liz has crossed the Tasman sea and suddenly changed directions. It’s headed straight for us and will reach the city in half an hour,” Catherine explained. “We have strong reason to believe it’s of Evohuman origin. We are preparing for a defense.”

A shiver found its way down Abby’s spine. She recalled seeing the news footage from the hurricane that cleaved Sydney in two, leaving a trail of destruction so violent that many speculated it had been manufactured by an Evohuman.

The estimated death toll had been in the tens of thousands.

We’re about to get hit by the same thing?

Bayside wasn’t anywhere close to being as big as Sydney. A storm like that would completely wipe out the city. How were they supposed to defend against something like that?

Abby’s mind started racing as the two entered an elevator and descended to the Command Deck.

When the elevator dinged and the doors opened, the twelve-year-old rookie got her first look at what an emergency looked like. Soldiers were moving about the hallways in practiced fashion while other personnel were running around almost frantically. Abby wasn’t entirely sure what everyone's jobs were but it certainly looked like everyone had somewhere to be and they needed to be there yesterday.

They stepped out of the elevator and Abby heard the wind howl.

“Is that the wind?” Abby asked, hoping that she was wrong. Her mother’s tired eyes only narrowed.

“Yes. Come, we’re going to see Nanoforge and get you suited up.”

Abby froze.

“I… I’m going out there?”

There was a window close to them and Abby could see out of it. Bayside’s night lights were shining brightly but obscured by the water on the glass. The wind roared again and both mother and daughter could have sworn the glass shuddered as rain pelted it.

Catherine gently guided her daughter to the side of the hallway so they wouldn’t get in anyone’s way.

“I know you aren’t due to debut until next week, but the higher ups have declared an emergency. All hands on deck,” Catherine’s lips thinned as a grim expression overtook her features. “It’s going to be dangerous, Abby. You are going to need to listen to everything I say and you can’t argue, okay? I’ll be with you the entire time.”

“No… No!” Abby shook her head. “I-I can’t do this.”

“You can,” Catherine reassured her without breaking eye contact. “I don’t want you out there either, but we have a responsibility. The power we wield can save lives, but I need you to promise you will stay by my side no matter what.”

Abby’s body shook as the panic started to talk over. However, when her mom took her hands in her own, the twelve-year-old felt herself still. She had always looked up to her mom; admired her strength and power. The soldiers on base would often tell her of her mother’s more heroic moments that she was too bashful to share herself.

“Trust in yourself. You are stronger than you give yourself credit, much stronger,” Catherine said with a smile. Her expression turned somewhat playful and the tightness in her chest lessened. “Stronger than me.”

“R-Really?”

“Yes, but don’t tell anyone I said that,” Catherine kissed her forehead. “I will deny it and I will ground you. Now, come on. We don’t have much time.”

There were no more words of protest as Abby was led through the hallways. They weaved between frantic personnel before they came to a door with a handprint scanner. Catherine held her palm to the device and after a few beeps, they stepped into a laboratory filled with all sorts of equipment that seemed nonsensical. Countless tables were covered in a random assortment of metal parts and circuitry, with giant machines whirling away in the background.

“Nicole!” Catherine called out. She received no answer but that didn’t deter her. “Nicole, where are you? If you haven’t noticed this is an emergency!”

A door leading into another subsection of the laboratory opened and a man in a white coat strolled through. He was a taller man, a bit lanky but he had a nicely trimmed beard, well-groomed hair, and glasses. Abby recognized the man rather quickly.

Vulcan!

“Nicole’s not here. She’s still at her conference in New York,” Vulcan’s eyes flickered to Abby and his expression hardened. “What do you need?”

“My daughter needs her armor. Nicole told me it was finished days ago but she was still changing the design to appease the PR department,” Catherine explained. “We’re being sent out to try and mitigate the damage done to the city.”

“Ridiculous,” Vulcan scowled. “She’s twelve. What are you thinking—”

“Do you think it did not occur to me to argue!?” Catherine snapped. “If it were my call, she’d be heading to the shelters along with the rest of the city but I was not given a choice!”

“It is your call to make and you do have a choice. You’re her mother.”

“The armor, Bart,” she insisted. “Do not make me ask a second time.”

He grimaced and met Catherine’s gaze. After a few moments, he stuck his hands in his lab coat pockets and turned on his heel.

“Follow me,” he intoned, returning through the door he had come from, Catherine and Abby were quick to follow.

Through the door lay another section of the laboratory but this one seemed more organized than the other room. Most of the room was tables, all lined with funky-looking chemical equipment. Vulcan walked past all of it toward a corner of the room that was packed with computers. Another figure stood there, clad in vibrant green armor. Abby was quick to recognize the symbol etched into his shoulders.

“Wind Walker!”

His head turned and his mouth curved into a smile. “Hey there, Sparkles. It's a bit early for you to be up.”

“Don’t call me that. It’s not gonna be my name,” Abby grumbled. “Mom said Command wants me involved so I’m here to get my armor.”

“She will be working under me,” Catherine said. “What’re you doing here?”

Wind Walker respectfully bowed his head. “Domination, always a pleasure. I was just getting my head piece repaired. That scuffle with Pneuma the other day damaged my costume.”

“Reckless as always,” Catherine chided. “Report to meeting room C. You will be working in my group.”

Vulcan handed Wind Walker his headpiece and the young man put it on. The servos inside clicked and it connected with the rest of his armor.

He shot her a smile. “Yes ma’am.”

As he walked past, he gave Abby a playful nudge before jogging out of the laboratory. Abby grinned as she watched him go. He was the oldest of The Rookies having just turned nineteen. She couldn’t wait to start working with him properly.

“Bart.”

“Yeah, I’ve got it,” the man reached over and plucked a black and gold bracelet out of a container.

Abby watched as he moved over to a cylindrical-looking machine and put the bracelet into a receptacle. An interface opened and he began typing away. Slowly, metal doors slid down to reveal a big glass vat. Inside were tiny bots, individually too small for the naked eye to see, but all clumped together they looked like floating liquid.

A claw descended down through the machines and snagged the bracelet before lifting it up into the center of the vat. Vulcan typed continued to type away and before her very eyes, the swarm of machines began to converge on the bracelet. Abby didn’t know how to explain it but they somehow merged with the small thing, sinking into it and disappearing from sight.

Vulcan pressed a key and suddenly it all stopped. The claw holding the bracelet lowered and deposited it back into the receptacle. Closing the interface, he reached into the machine and grabbed the bracelet out of the receptacle. He observed it with a keen eye and once he was happy with it, he handed it off to Abby.

She stared at it, holding it with both hands like she was afraid it might burn her.

“Put it on.”

Abby slipped it on and it fit like a glove. Strangely enough, she could have sworn she had felt it readjust slightly as it comfortably settled around her wrist.

“How does it work?” She asked.

“Twist it.”

Abby followed his instructions and slowly turned it. The centerpiece of the bracelet moved and she heard a click. There was a cool sensation that spread across her skin so quickly that she didn’t have time to react. The nanomachines covered her from the neck down in dark, obsidian armor. Unlike the other rookies and heroes, she didn’t have a personalized design yet.

“Woah…”

“There should be a small button at the back of your neck, press that to enable your headpiece.”

The button was small but Abby managed to find it. The nanomachines spread over her head and formed a protective helmet. The armor didn’t feel restrictive at all, in fact, it felt warm and comfortable. She felt safe.

“You’re all set.”

“Thank you, Bart,” Catherine said. “Let’s go, Abby.”

As they turned to leave the room, Vulcan called out to them. “Hey, be careful out there, okay?” His words were directed at Abby. “Listen to your mother and don’t do anything stupid.”

Abby nodded. “Thank you, Vulcan. I will.”

He smiled weakly as they left.

When they arrived at the meeting room, Abby was met with an avalanche of faces she had never seen before. The only person in the room she recognized was Wind Walker. He was talking to some of the guards and two other Rookies Abby had only met in passing. The rest were just an assortment of soldiers all armed with their usual gear with many also carrying first aid kits now.

“Alright, listen up!” Catherine’s voice silenced the room. “We’re on disaster relief. Our job is to evacuate civilians to the nearest shelters and to provide medical assistance where possible. All critical injuries are to be redirected to shelter A6 or D3 where Backtrack and Esuna have been stationed respectively.”

One of the Rookies next to Wind Walker raised their hand.

“Where’s A6 again?”

Wind Walker leaned over to his friend. “The same section of the city the hospital is in.”

“Right, yeah,” Shifter nodded, sheepishly rubbing the back of his neck. “I knew that.”

“You all know what to do,” Catherine continued. “Follow protocol and we will be fine. If you encounter an issue you do not know how to solve, use the emergency channel. You will be connected to one of the base’s Mentalists and they will advise you on what to do. Am I clear?”

Abby found herself startled by the booming response from the people in the room. “Understood!”

“Clear out and find your stations!”

The soldiers began filtering out. Shifter and the other Rookie Abby didn’t know passed her, sending reassuring nods her way. Did she really look that scared?

Finally, Wind Walker came up to her as one of the last to leave the room.

“Looking slick there, Sparkles.”

Abby growled.

“That’s NOT my name!”

He chuckled and gave her a pat on the shoulder.

“Easy there, I’m just trying to ease your nerves.”

“I’m fine.”

“Are you?” He gestured to her hand. Abby looked and realized she was still holding her mother’s hand. Catherine, despite giving out her orders to the troops, didn’t pull away. “It’s alright to be scared, honestly I’d be concerned if you weren’t. Everyone gets worried, especially on their first day out. Can’t say I went through anything this hectic on my first day but hey, at least you’ll have a really cool story to tell everyone.”

Abby pulled her hand away from Catherine as the older woman addressed Wind Walker.

“I appreciate what you’re doing but you need to get moving.”

“Roger dodger,” Wind Walker saluted. “See you guys out there.”

The cheerful rookie jogged ahead as Catherine and Abby followed. The twelve-year-old heroine felt her heartbeat increase as they made for the entrance of the building. The closer they got, the louder the storm became.

Catherine activated her own armor, its uniform black design complimented by a deep shade of magenta. Domination’s symbol was a shield with a humanoid figure standing in the middle.

“Helmet on Abby.”

“Right, sorry.”

Once again, she activated her helmet as they stepped outside. For a moment, she was worried she was going to get blown off her feet. The wind was strong enough to be flipping parked cars into the middle of the road. Street lamps were bending and shaking, some of which had already been ripped out of the ground.

The storm isn’t even here yet and it’s doing this much damage.

Despite the increasing destruction, it seemed the wind died before it could reach her. It was then, Abby realized, that her mom had created a telekinetic barrier to block the worst of the storm. It was always difficult to tell when and where her mom was using her power. Unlike her own, Domination’s telekinetic power was invisible.

“Whatever happens, you do not leave my sight,” Domination’s voice came through a speaker in Abby’s helmet. One of the cars on the road was lifted into the air and brought before them. The mother stepped on, cautiously guiding her daughter with her.

“Where are we going?”

“The harbor, closest to the water's edge. We need to check the area and evacuate any stragglers before it gets worse.”

They began moving through the streets with Domination’s powers providing protection. Abby couldn’t help but look out into the ocean as they neared the harbor. She couldn’t see anything in the pitch-black darkness. Even with her mom’s power blocking the rain and keeping them dry, she couldn’t see any sign of an approaching storm.

“Illumination is on site. Providing light!”

White erupted in the sky above the city like a miniature sun and Abby was forced to shield her eyes for a moment.

When she opened them, she saw death.

A wall of twisting black wind dominated the horizon atop the surging seas.

The feeling of abject terror and dread wasn’t something Abby was intimately familiar with. She always liked to put on a brave face and face any challenges head-on. Just like her mom, it was her responsibility to help people with the power she had. Even if it was scary, she had to get on with it.

But being faced with this…  she lost her nerve. There was no stopping something like that. No one could. Its pure power could not be matched and it would tear through her city and leave nothing behind.

What was even the point? The shelters wouldn’t even survive this storm.

It was—

“Focus Abigail!” Her mother’s voice brought her back to reality. “We have a job to do.”

“O-Okay!”

Drawing on her power, she surrounded herself with her aura. The rainbow mist enveloped her in a bubble and she felt her feet drift off the floating platform Domination was controlling. She hovered for a moment to gather her bearings before her mother spoke to her again.

“The cars on the road, check them for passengers,” Domination said. “I will be searching the buildings.”

Swallowing her fear, Abby nodded.

She flew toward the edge of Domination’s telekinetic boundary, noting where it was due to how much rain was pouring off of it. She paused at the perimeter for a moment, sucking in a deep breath before taking the plunge. The moment she dove through, she lost all control and was pulled violently toward the ocean. Her mother’s voice boomed through the radio.

“Harden your shield!”

She held her breath and solidified her bubble. Just like that, the vicious pull stopped and she managed to regain control of herself. Her misty aura cast a glow on her surroundings. She had been dragged all the way across the street and onto the beach in a matter of moments.

“I’ve got it. I’m okay!”

“Good,” she heard Domination’s sigh of relief. “Now check the cars. Start with any that have their lights on!”

Abby wasn’t sure why she was bothering to check since they were clearly all abandoned. Many had their doors open, some of which had even broken off from the violent winds. None from what she saw had their lights on. People had listened to the warnings and gotten to the nearest shelter, it seemed.

She glided up and down the streets, searching for any signs of life. There was the occasional warning that sounded through her armor, reminding her how close the storm was, but the worst of it was still fifteen minutes away. There was still time to find any stragglers that might be caught outside. Even though she was supposed to be helping, she couldn’t help but find herself distracted by all the flying supers that had come to help.

Abby spotted a trailing thunderbolt surge through the sky toward the storm. She knew immediately who it was; Jupiter, one of America’s most prolific heroes. How exactly he was going to help, she wasn’t sure, but his presence here meant that there might be some kind of plan being put into motion to divert the storm.

Suddenly, a light caught her attention out of the corner of her eye.

Abby looked down to the street and saw a car sandwiched on all sides. It was a fairly big car– the type you’d go driving in the countryside with. There was a small light behind the windshield, waving back and forth as if trying to get her attention. Her heart leaped into her throat when she realized it was trying to get her attention.

“Mum, I found someone!” She shot down to the street and hovered above the car. With all the rain pouring, she couldn’t see who was inside but someone was. “They're trapped in a car.”

“Get them out and over to the nearest shelter. B2, do you know where that is?”

“Next to Eastworth Girls!”

“Good, go!”

Guiding her power, Abby extended her aura until it enveloped the whole car. It took a bit of effort but she managed to dislodge the car and drag it upwards out of its gridlocked prison.

Unfortunately, there was a loud groaning, haunting howl from the ocean as thunder and lightning exploded from the storm. The wind's ferocity increased and the empty cars on the road lost what little grip they had. Abby watched in horror as vehicles all around her drifted upward like balloons before being whisked away across the beach and toward the whirling storm.

“All units be advised. Jupiter has engaged an unknown Evohuman.”

Abby didn’t have time to process the warning she had just been given before the car in her telekinetic grip was wrenched away. For a few seconds, she was dragged along for the ride and found herself hurtling across the ocean. Adrenaline surged through her as she pulled back and came to a sudden stop. The car in her telekinetic grip swayed like a kite as she battled the ferocious winds.

“Abby, pull back!”

Even with the radio blaring in her ear, the howl of the window muffled her mother’s voice. She could barely make out the words.

But she knew what to do; what she had to do.

She pulled.

And pulled.

And pulled.

It was slow, but she crept back to the street, though in the back of her mind, Abby knew it wouldn’t be enough. At the pace she was going, she wouldn’t make it to the shelter located in B2 before the storm made landfall. But… she couldn’t just abandon these people. If she let go now, they would die! She was the only thing standing between them and oblivion. She had to keep trying.

“Abigail, you have to pull back NOW!”

Abby turned and continued to pull the car. She could see her mother’s telekinetic dome in the distance, the rain running off of it like a fountain.

I have to keep going.

She passed one building.

Keep going.

Two buildings. She was getting closer.

This is why I’m out here, right?

There.

I have to—

Abby abruptly found herself catapulted forward. She soared through the air and slammed into Domination’s barrier. It completely knocked the breath out of her, but something grabbed her before she could hit the ground.

There was silence. No howling, no rain. Nothing. Just the calmness of a cloudy night sky.

It’s over?

She re-engaged her misty aura and pushed away her mother’s telekinetic grip. When she got her bearings, she looked back out toward the storm – or where it had been.

With Illumination’s light still shining in the sky, Abby saw a black construct – almost like a pillar – where the storm had been. Confusion plagued her for a moment before it began receding back into the ocean. As Abby hovered above the drenched street, her mind raced trying to think of who was responsible. The answer clicked the moment her radio sparked to life.

“All units be advised, The Mountain has neutralized the unknown Evohuman.”

She was speechless.

The Mountain saved us.

Abby was so caught up in the moment she failed to notice the doors to the car she had saved open below her. Four individuals poured out, a husband, a wife, and two children. All were injured but nothing that wouldn’t heal. It was the relieved sobbing that finally broke Abby out of her trance. Her head turned to find the family embracing amidst all the destruction.

She breathed a sigh of relief and smiled; pride, accomplishment, and happiness bubbling up in her chest. At that moment, all her fear was banished, thrown to the wind, and Abby discovered one thing she would never, ever forget.

This is what it means to be a hero.

/------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------/

June 9th, 2021

This isn't what it means to be a hero.

“Thank you for the help today, Comet.”

She barely registered the words. At this point, that phrase was white noise. It was nothing but hollow words. This was her job, what else did they expect from her? The only times the thanks felt like they had any meaning was when they came from people she saved.

Four years into this and she had already learned to pick up on when people were just going through the motions. All the soldiers were like that, thanking her because it was expected. She wouldn’t even be surprised if it was written into their contracts.

“Yeah, sure.”

This is just… pest control.

Comet watched as Techies and Junkmonger were loaded into an ECU prisoner transport and all she could wonder was when they would somehow manage to break out again. Maintenance workers in charge of the holding cells back at HQ said they were in constant communication with Mechakinetics to improve their systems. The problem was, the ECU was falling behind the times as independents started charging more for their services.

“Can I go now or do I need to regale you all with how those two losers led me on a wild goose chase?” Comet asked. “I’d like to go back to school and pick up my stuff, the place does get locked up, ya know.”

The captain awkwardly cleared his throat. “No need. You can go.”

“See ya,” she took to the air heading back to school.

Abby checked her phone when she landed.

4:37 P.M.

She couldn’t believe Techies and Junkmonger had given her so much trouble. Lunchtime had been just wrapping up when she had left to deal with those clowns. Worse still, Techies had managed to construct a weapon that bypassed her defensive bubble. That was a first, but she was always warned to be wary of Mechakinetics. They were a dangerous bunch, even the most innocent-looking ones.

She searched the library for her stuff when a cleaner mentioned that her friend had taken her stuff to the dean's office. That didn’t surprise her. It was probably Lucy or Max, they were always onto things. Chris and Jackson had the awareness of a goldfish sometimes so she doubted it was them. Eventually, she found her belongings in the Dean’s office.

Abby made sure to make her journey back to Headquarters short.

Taking to the air, she soared into the sky and blitzed across the city, heading for the monolithic tower protruding from the center that dominated the skyline. It extended far past the lowest cloud layer and continued upward. What they needed all that space for, Abby didn’t know and she couldn’t care less. She wasn’t allowed up past the sixtieth floor anyway. A couple of years ago she had gone up there, compelled by her own curiosity, and had been caught. The reprimand had been swift and just, her mother grounding her for two weeks.

Naturally, that had only served to amplify her curiosity. It was short-lived, however, when her mom decided to kill the mystery and take her up there under the guise of a tour. It was a little disappointing but Abby found that it was just more workshops for the untested and unstable equipment, especially the stuff that had been confiscated. Glorified storage was another way to put it.

Flying up to a familiar part of the citadel, she pressed the back of her hand against the smooth metal surface. Her bracelet clinked against the wall and a hiss sounded. Servos moved as the wall slid open. Abby slipped through and landed on even ground, arriving in a room filled with machines and blinking lights. Technically, it was an emergency entry and exit for flying supers but Abby had taken to using it daily to get in and out of HQ. It was convenient and meant she could skip the checks at the front door.

She pressed her bracelet against a panel that was sticking out of a nearby console and the door closed behind her. After exiting the room through another door, she entered a hallway with a singular armed guard sitting on a chair next to the door. It was protocol to have someone stationed at every exit, even if it was hundreds of feet off the ground.

The guard lifted his head, pulling his attention away from his phone.

“I could report you for that, you know,” Abby smiled. “Watching videos on duty? Isn’t that considered neglectful behavior?”

The guard simply raised his eyebrow. “You’re one to talk. How many times have you been told to use the front door?”

“Here,” Abby reached into her jacket pocket and tossed him a bar of chocolate. “My daily toll for your silence.”

The guard caught it. “Ta.”

Abby strolled past him. “Enjoy.”

Carrying on, she headed toward her bedroom five levels below. She took the elevator and emerged into the rookie dorm area. She followed another long hallway that led to the common room before branching off into another hallway with all their bedrooms. Abby moved swiftly, enticed by thoughts of her bed. All she wanted to do was lie down and sleep the afternoon away until she was dragged out for dinner.

She passed through the common room without issue but, unfortunately, today wasn’t going to let her slip away without a fight. Seer stood, leaning against the frame of her bedroom door, waiting for her arrival. A tired groan escaped her lips and he turned. He was a boy about a year older than her. He wore a sky-blue shirt and jacket, along with a pair of shaded spectacles to hide the fact that he was blind.

“You better be here to tell me the new Cassidy Ellis album is out,” Abby grumbled, strolling up to her bedroom door.

Seer tilted his head slightly. “Not for another month and a half. I’m here to tell you that your mom got injured. She’s safe but a debriefing has been called and we’re required to attend.”

Abby rolled her eyes. “Pass.”

Seer’s brow raised. “You don’t care that your mom got hurt?”

“Oh, no. I care. I’m sure she’ll tell me all about it later. I just don’t feel like going to one of these ‘mandatory’ meetings. I’ve just spent the last few hours chasing two idiots through the city and sleep beckons me,” she said. “I’m not in the mood to sit through a debriefing.”

“Abby—”

“Go away, Jason.”

“I can’t. I was specifically asked to come and get you.”

“Cool, I’m still not going.”

“You’re going to get reprimanded if you don’t show up.”

A dark look spread across her face as the exhaustion turned to bubbling anger.

“Fine. I’ll just go get changed.”

“Abby, I know you’re going to lock the door and go to bed.”

“Damn it, Jason! Go away! I’ll be there, okay? Just get the hell out of my way.”

Seer sighed and moved aside.

Abby unlocked her door and stepped inside, heading to her drawers to change into fresh clothes. When she was done, she stepped outside only to see that Seer was still standing there, arms crossed and waiting patiently.

“What are you, my keeper?”

“Your escort.”

Abby screwed up her face. “Ew.”

He let out an exasperated sigh. “You know what I mean. Let’s go.”

Another elevator ride landed Abby in a private debriefing room. Tricky and Copycat were already there, both of them leaning back in their seats. They were clad in their costumes, probably because they were scheduled for patrol in about an hour. Tricky wore his armor that was stylized to mimic a midwestern gunslinger while Copycat wore his Japanese-inspired cat mask.

They were both playing some trading card game that Abby was unfamiliar with. Despite this, they were the only two in the room. Normally, Seraphim was the first here and this fact stood out like a sore thumb.

“Where’s Nikki?”

“With her boyfriend. I think she’s seeing that new horror flick,” Copycat replied, tearing his gaze away from the cards in his hand. “It’s pretty bad from what I’ve read.”

“Counterspell,” Tricky said smugly, laying out a card on the table.

Copycat threw his head back and groaned. “Fuuuucks sake…”

“So I have to be here while Nikki gets a free pass?” Abby rounded on Seer who simply shrugged. “Fuck you, Jason.”

“Come on, Abby. That’s not fair and you know it.”

The door opened behind her and two senior heroes walked through. One wore a decorative skeleton mask while the other had multicolored threads throughout her hair.

“Lich, Dreamweaver,” Seer inclined his head in respect. “It’s good to see you. I hope your vacation went well.”

“It could have been better. Malta just isn’t the same as it used to be,” Dreamweaver bemoaned. “I wanted to switch it up and go to Italy, but this lug here dug in his heels and refused.”

Lich grunted and said nothing.

Seer cleared his throat and gave a small understanding nod. “Well, I’m glad to hear it. There aren’t many places left where tourism flourishes. It’s nice to know there are at least some places still trying.”

“I didn’t know you guys got back,” Abby commented, still surprised. “Did you hear about Lana’s engagement? She’s given up her position to Ionizer.”

“Yes, I heard our Sparrow managed to get hitched. If she doesn’t ask me to be one of her bridesmaids, there’s going to be some serious trouble.”

“Well, it’s a good thing I had you at the top of my list,” another voice sounded from the door. Sparrow stepped through, followed closely by Domination and Director Oslin. “It’s good to see you, Jen. We can discuss details later. For now, duty unfortunately takes priority.”

“Take a seat, everyone,” Director Oslin grumbled. He moved with a hunch, his thinning gray hair was starting to fall out and Abby could have sworn he ages at least a year every time she laid eyes on the old guy. “We have business to attend to and I don’t have all day.”

Abby finally noticed the condition her mother was in. The woman carried herself like she was made of steel and didn’t so much as limp or slouch. Her injuries were obvious, even though she had clearly received at least some minor treatment. There was dried blood covering the lower half of her face and her armor had a large gash in it. Whatever wound had been inflicted had been sealed by a high-grade biogel, but it still made her queasy to look at.

Someone had really been gunning for her, it seemed.

As everyone took their seats, Abby sent a concerned look over toward her mom. Domination noticed but dismissed her daughter’s concern with a silent nod.

Sparrow walked around and dealt out a bunch of dossiers and Abby labored a sigh as she opened hers. It was filled to the brim with information about supers she hadn’t seen or heard of. Probably newbies that had cropped up around Bayside. These meetings happened all the time and Abby had learned to barely bother remembering these guys. Most of the time, they ended up somewhere else before the week was out. If they ended up staying, they either disappeared or ended up arrested fairly quickly. Rarely, did they ever actually end up being a serious threat.

The last two that actually amounted to anything had been Grim and Bonesmith.

For the next hour, Sparrow droned on about the new faces and Abby found her eyelids drooping. Tricky was already trying to play with his trading cards and Copycat was trying to look like he was engaged. Seer was impossible to read, doing his best impression of a Moai statue.

Then, as it started to wrap up, Ionizer stepped through the door. Sparrow stopped talking and everyone turned and stared.

“I apologize for my lateness. I was called to an emergency. But I have good news,” he said. “I have apprehended Bonesmith.”

Immediately, Abby was awake. Tricky sat up in his chair, Copycat shifted in his seat and Seer’s stone-faced expression shifted.

Bonesmith was no easy capture. The guy was a menace, one of the most lethal close-quarter villains in Bayside. His shifted weapons could rip through some of Nanoforge’s best armor. Not to mention the vicious history he had as a pirate.

“The Cains have been unusually active recently,” Domination mused. “Gold Rush’s attack on Pandora must not have been a knee-jerk reaction. Premeditated, it seems.”

Ionizer nodded in agreement. “He and a handful of Cain followers were reported fleeing the Downtown Mall in pursuit of a vehicle. Eye witness accounts claim it was a black sedan, 2008 model.”

“Were there no cameras to catch the vehicle’s registration and number plate?” Director Oslin questioned, not sounding pleased. “It sounds like you were not able to ID who they were after.”

“Not without Mentalist input,” Ionizer replied. “Two suspects, both Evohumans. It seems like a recruitment gone bad. The cameras around the and inside the mall were mostly disabled. Currently, our specialists are working to recover any footage from the last six hours, but from their reports, all of what they are able to extract is corrupted. Mentalists suspect Mechakinetic interference.”

“A lot of the security in that building is old hardware,” Sparrow mused with a frown. “I put through a report two and a half years ago about that,” she turned her gaze to Director Oslin. “Was nothing done?”

The Director scowled. “I don’t recall seeing any paperwork pertaining to such an inquiry.”

The room fell into an awkward silence.

“Casualties?” Lich asked, breaking his silence.

Ionizer turned to him. “No one died, though, there are a few injuries to note. Some civilians were caught in the crossfire. The pursuit was taken to the highway. A few civilian cars were caught off-guard and had to brake or swerve. There are some broken bones and concussions but nothing life threatening from what I’ve heard.”

“Hmm.”

Abby grimaced. She could feel the tension in the room. Things could have ended badly on the main highway. She had seen firsthand the kind of horror that could happen there.

“Recruitment gone wrong, you say?” Domination mused. “An independent Mechakinetic?”

Ionizer nodded. “That is my suspicion.”

“Who’re our suspects?” Dreamweaver asked. “If the Cains are after them, they’ve either done something to piss them off or they are really valuable.”

Ionizer picked up one of the dossiers and flipped through the pages. He marked the people of interest by folding the top right corner of the pages.

“Four potentials, assuming our Mentalist support is operating on the correct information. Pages seven, twenty six, twenty nine, and forty one.”

Abby flipped through the pages and found who Ionizer was talking about. The problem with independents was that it was hard to find anything before they did something big. The ones that kept their heads low and tried not to do anything illegal had a lot of their information redacted because of privacy laws. But the more prolific they were, the more the ECU were allowed to know.

Blueprinter, Omnicraft, Uplink, and Upgrade… there’s not much here.

“Well, this isn’t very helpful,” Copycat chimed in. Then, he grimaced. “Omnicraft apparently likes… Thai girls? It’s still weird how we have privacy laws and redact their personal details, yet you monitor their internet activity.”

“None of them are particularly active online. Blueprinter and Upgrade have done some very minor work for clients and use forums to advertise their services,” Ionizer explained. “As you can see, our Mentalists are having trouble putting any of them at the Mall today. Our leading suspect is Uplink, seeing as they are known to be able to compromise security.”

“Has Bonesmith spoken since his capture?” Director Oslin asked.

Ionizer shook his head. “Unfortunately not. I don’t think he wishes to give us the upper hand in this situation.”

“See if our Mentalists can extract any information on our chase victim,” Director Oslin replied. He stood and brushed off his suit. “Well done today, Ionizer. If I may, where is Seraphim? It is unlike her to miss these meetings.”

“Out with her boyfriend,” Copycat repeated.

Director Oslin’s lips thinned. “Ah, I see. You are all dismissed.”

Relief flooded through Abby as she stood.

“Not you, Ms. Kingston,” Director Oslin said, giving her a pointed look. “Sit.”

Abby wanted to scream. She watched as everyone filtered out of the room. Her mother stayed behind, as was her right. When everyone left and the door clicked shut, the elderly man sighed.

“A report landed on my desk earlier detailing your conduct when dealing with Junkmonger and Techies,” the Director took a moment for his words to sink in. Abby huffed and sunk into her chair, knowing where this was going. “I’m aware of their reputation for miraculous escapes but that is no reason to brutalize them.”

“I just—”

“I don’t want to hear excuses,” the Director cut her off with a calm but stern gaze. “You have a right to feel frustrated. Know that what you feel is something I deal with daily. You must rise above it if you want a future with the ECU as a hero.”

Abby looked away.

“Am I in trouble?”

The Director shifted and sighed once more. “For this, no. While your methods should require disciplinary measure, you’ve provided us with the opportunity to incarcerate them without fear of them escaping.”

Abby turned back, a victorious grin on her face. Her mother did not share her enthusiasm.

“That said, I am still penalizing you.”

Abby’s mouth fell open as the Director moved toward the door.

“What? Why!?”

He turned and looked over his shoulder. Abby could have sworn she saw him smirk.

“Did you think I wouldn’t figure it out? Use the front door next time.”

He left without another word, the door closing and leaving Abby sitting dumbfounded. She caught a glimpse of her mother’s piercing gaze and slumped.

Damnit!